NYSPORTSFAN

Music is a subjective thing. I have had people try to convice me that Velvet Undground tracks like "Sister Ray" and "European Son" are great songs but to me there garbage.

As for Magical Mystery Tour here is my review.

Magical Mystery Tour- Nice combination of R&B, rock and jazzy trumpets which actually was an influence on bands like Chicago. BBC sound effects tape of traffic riding past a microphone to good effect, too, panning in across the stereo spectrum at various points of the recording. Which they could have expanded on the jazz outro.

Fool on the Hill- Nice blend of flutes/recorders and piano. Some psychedelic touches with backward harmonicas and noises at the end that I can't really describe. A beutiful melody also.

Flying - It's like Booker T & MGS meets Space Rock. Melltron and innovative use of backwards tape loops makes it another trademark Beatles song.

Blue Jay Way- Very Indian influenced track with no guitar or sitar. Use of vocals through Leslie Spearkers, phasing on the drums, lone cello and backward instrumenation makes it another song filled with odd sounds.

Your Mother Should Know- The mono version with phasing on Ringo drums makes the song a Dance Hall meets psychedelia.

I Am The Walrus- Stomping, electric piano-driven beat married to avant-garde tape loops, sampled taped radio broadcasts, strings, brass, choirs. distorted lead vocal and Mellotron.

Strawberry Fields Forever- Childlike lyrics -enhanced-by-acid-trip-inspired track. One of the first notable use of Mellotron. Backwards cymbals to exotic instrumentation to tape loops to tape-speed manipulation to over-compressed drums and bass to outside orchestration. The arrangement is effectively dynamic and atmospheric. Spooky tacked-on false ending, too.

Penny Lane- Possibly Pet Sounds-influenced but in the end sounding very much Beatlesque. Nice baroque touches using piccolo trumpet and use of pianos recorded through a guitar amp. Another great melody with an interesting use of feedback at the end on either harmonium or piano.

Baby You're A Rich Man- A psychedelic rocker with funky overtones and Oriental sounding electroncic parts. A track that I could imagine Prince doing.

All You Need Is Love- Not really one of my favorite Beatles tracks but the hippie love theme that the Beatles started on the "The Word" on Rubber Soul is realized here. Unusual use of time signatures and the blending of various songs on the fade-out makes it an interesting song.

blastingas10

The complexity of The Beatles is very easily overlooked. It may not always be in plain sight, but after further analysis it is recognized. They could go from playing simple songs with catchy melodies to playing really complex songs with a real layered sound.

NYSPORTSFAN

To poster above something like "Tomorrow Never Knows" is a complex layered sound. All those loops were recorded lived in the studio one of the first examples of if not the first example of live looping on a pop song. Everything on that song is altered in some way the vocals, backward guitar solo and the drums. The track is influenced by avant garde artists who used looping and backward tapes in the past but I don't any example of live looping that pre-dated TNK which is a common element in what DJS do.

blastingas10

It's been Noted that Brian Wilson said "strawberry fields forever" was partially responsible for the shelving of Smile. when Wilson first heard the song on his car radio, he had to pull over and listen to it all the way through, and then remarked to his passenger that the Beatles already achieved the sound he was trying to reach

Neapolitan

Imagine if Strawberry Feilds wasn't when it was but saved for Sgt Pepper. The timing of that one song being released when it was changed the course of music forever.

Still, I wonder if Brian didn't have that experience of veering off the road just to listen to Strawberry Feilds Forever would he had released SMiLE... or maybe he would still shelved it for other reasons - like depression or being a perfectionst or whatever other reason he would've had.

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NYSPORTSFAN

I think it's unfortunate that Brian felt that way. Brian already released two of the greatest pop singles IMO in "God Only Knows" and "Good Vibrations".

The Beatles seemed hell bent on merging Classical Music, World Music and Avant-garde with the emerging psychedelic sound on Revolver but they did that all in one track on "Strawberry Fields Forever". Maybe that's what Brian was trying to achieve but I don't know what was in Brian Wilson head. Even listening to this track today it still sounds like a song from another dimension.

Neapolitan

Usually I get really hyped on a song and play it over and over till I get tired of it. Some song I only listen to two or three times before it wears a little. But "Strawberry Fields Forever" is one of those songs that doesn't wear on me. Imo it's truly an amazing song.

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blastingas10

I dont think you can fully appreciate the Beatles until you have somewhat of an understanding of the complexity that is in a song like "strawberry fields forever". If people considered that, I don't see how the Beatles vs stones comparison would even make sense.

Howard the Duck

hmmm?

i prefer downright dirty sleazy sloppy blues to experimentalism

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Malaise is THE dominant human predilection.

Janszoon

So complexity = better? I'm not so sure I agree with that.

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A Night in the Life of the Invisible Man

Time & Place

25 Albums You Should Hear Before the Moon Crashes into the Earth and We All Die

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